Corroborating Proof Articles:
Christians Arrested for Reading the Bible in Public (Original Source)
Man arrested for Reading the Bible in Public (Video of Arrest)

3 Pastors Jailed for Public Bible Reading

by California Highway Patrol

Last February~ a team of individuals from Calvary Chapel Hemet~ California~ headed to their local Department of Motor Vehicles to fulfill the Great Commission through “street evangelism.”  They found a spot about fifty feet from the entrance~ where people were lining up waiting for the DMV to open~ and Mark Mackey began to read passages from the Bible aloud.

Shortly thereafter~ a security guard approached Mark and told him that he needed to leave.  However~ Mark was on public property and appropriately believed that he had a First Amendment right to free speech on that public property.  Mark continued to read the Bible aloud.  About 10 minutes later~ an officer from the California Highway Patrol approached Mark~ took the Bible out of his hands~ and arrested him.

When Mark asked why he was being arrested~ the officer said “you can preach on your own property … but you’re not allowed to preach here because this is a captive audience.”  Of course~ there is no such law that actually says you cannot communicate with a so-called “captive audience.”

Assistant Pastor Bret Coronado and Ed Flores watched the scene unfold and asked the CHP officer~ “What law was he breaking?”  However~ the officer could not cite any actual law.  Pastor Coronado asked if they were breaking the law and the officer said~ “You are if you preach.”  After continuing to ask the officer to cite an actual law that was being violated~ Pastor Coronado and Ed were both arrested.

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Let’s take action! 
Sign our free petition to God and to the CHP Inspector General. 

Then call the non-emergency number 1-800-TELL-CHP and lodge your complaint "for the Inspector General’s office~ AND for Commisioner J.A. Farrow" to please stop arresting Pastors who read the Bible on public sidewalks.  This number serves as the point of contact for the public to access the CHP for non-emergency purposes (e.g.~ accident reports~ tow questions~ CHP office locations~ vehicle theft tips~ community outreach programs).